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Chapter 448 The Secrets of Fire Refining (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
It could be fate, it could be the so-called "eight characters", or it could be... It was just a coincidence that a group of elite officers suddenly appeared on the street west of the government office.

They were dressed in bright armor, holding guns and knives, and marched swiftly and in unison towards the battlefield of the government office to provide support.

The leading female general, with her valiant bearing, was none other than Zhu Zhanmei.

The group, like a powerful and dark python, had just turned around the street corner when Xu Yuan stretched out his arms and lunged forward, trying his best to catch Miao Yan Zhenren.

At this moment, the beautiful woman Miaoyan had her hair disheveled and her jade belt was broken. She unconsciously fell into someone's arms.

Zhu Zhanmei kept walking quickly, leading the team straight forward.

As soon as she realized there was a major battle, she immediately led her men to provide support.

Then, he smoothly took Miao Yan Zhenren from Xu Yuan's arms and said, "You're injured too, go and get some treatment. Leave the rest to us."

Xu Yuan's arms remained in the same position as before, but the person in his arms was gone.

But Xu Yuan was just putting on a brave face.

Constantly reshaping the consciousness within the spirit consumes a tremendous amount of mental energy.

The reason I instinctively rushed over was entirely because Master Miaoyan came to Champa to help, and she did her best to stop the Great Sage Equaling Heaven from getting out of Champa. Her contribution was truly immense.

She was seriously injured and unconscious; we can't just let her fall to the ground like that, can we?

But when Xu Yuan saw Zhu Zhanmei, he felt relieved and gave her a gentle and reassuring smile, replying, "Okay."

The two captains behind Zhu Zhanmei came forward and helped Xu Yuan into the carriage.

They intended to put Xu Yuan into the carriage, but found that the carriage door was still locked.

So they had no choice but to help Xu Yuan sit in front of the carriage door, and then pull the carriage towards the Exorcism Bureau.

"Lord Xu, there's something strange about your carriage."

A captain inquired.

The carriage creaked and groaned, and shadows seemed to flash past inside the windows.

Xu Yuan frowned.

Although the tools used in the Western Regions are highly active, they still require human operation.

However, this "dream come true" seems to have changed somewhat.

It seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the two officers of the Mountain and River Division who were criticizing it.

I wanted to do something, to mess with these two guys.

Moreover, as the current owner of "Dreams Come True", Xu Yuan could vaguely sense that "Dreams Come True" was experiencing emotions similar to... a proud noble lady being judged by two servants, which caused her to have some negative feelings.

"How could this be? Was it because of my repeated involvement with Lingxiao that I was affected?" Xu Yuan wondered.

But Lord Xu is truly powerless to investigate what exactly has changed in the "dream come true".

These few guesses that had just crossed Xu Yuan's mind caused a throbbing pain in his head.

Xu Yuan could only confirm that the activity of "Dreams Come True" had increased again, but it had not "fallen".

Xu Yuan patted the carriage and said, "Behave yourselves, they're all on our side."

Inside the "Dream Come True" carriage, a creaking sound came from inside. The noble lady was displeased and started to act childishly.

Xu Yuan rubbed his head: "Stop fooling around, let me rest for a while."

Two more sounds rang out in the carriage before it fell silent.

Although the noble lady was willful, she was still quite sensible.

Stop making a fuss.

The hairs on the backs of the two captains stood on end!

He immediately realized that this chariot was the work of a powerful but narrow-minded craftsman!

The two immediately shut their mouths and pulled the cart very fast, taking it all the way to the Exorcism Bureau.

Then, without even taking the reward money, he fled as fast as he could.

Xu Yuan had recovered somewhat and spread his hands to express his "dream come true": "Look how scared you scared him!"

The carriage wheels turned, moving forward and backward repeatedly, appearing quite pleased with itself.

Xu Yuan shook his head repeatedly. He had to quickly invite the stepmother over and teach this thing some manners!

Then Xu Yuan went into his room, lay back on the tatami mat rubbing his temples, and called out, "Lang Xiaoba, is Asmuru back?"

Lang Xiaoba immediately reported: "He's back. He and Lord Miao Yu brought back a prisoner."

Xu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief: "Have them bring the prisoners over."

"Yes." Lang Xiaoba went immediately.

Xu Yuan was still rubbing his temples.

Xu Yuan's own medicinal pills have excellent effects in treating various injuries.

The only thing that is so mentally drained is that recovery is not so easy.

Seeing the master's pained expression, Ji Shuangqiu loyally stepped forward and said, "My lord, shall I rub it for you?"

At times like these, it would indeed be best to have a gentle, spiritually powerful maidservant give Lord Xu a massage.

But Xu Yuan raised his eyelids, glanced at Ji Shuangqiu's fist which was as big as a sandbag, and refused without hesitation: "No need."

"Oh." Ji Shuangqiu retreated dejectedly.

Xu Yuan's mind started wandering again: Zhu Zhanmei took Miaoyan Zhenren away, so why didn't she come back with me?

If she were here, I'd ask her to massage it for me; it would feel so good...

Miao Yu and Asmru arrived, bringing someone with them.

The Lord's "unawakened body".

After Asmru and Xu Yuan parted ways, Asmru immediately went to find Miao Yu.

Xu Yuan's side began their operation, and the two of them together captured the unconscious person.

Miao Yu said to Xu Yuan, "This man is named Ge Yun'an. He came to stay with relatives half a month ago and lives in Wanjia Lane in the west of the city."

The relative he sought refuge with was named Ge Zhen, who was Ge Yun'an's uncle.

The elderly couple had modest wealth, but had never had any children.

Ge Zhen had a younger brother named Ge Lin in Hue City. Ge Lin only had one son, Ge Yun'an. Ge Lin passed away half a year ago. When Ge Zhen received the news, he wrote to Ge Yun'an, asking him to come to Champa after handling the funeral and inherit his property.

We've investigated, and everything is true.

It is unknown when the Lord of Gou turned Ge Yun'an into his unconscious body.

But by doing this, both branches of the Ge family were completely wiped out.

Miao Yu was furious.

Xu Yuan looked at the "unconscious body".

Ge Yun'an was in a daze, like a walking corpse.

Miao Yu then said, "The madman's shadow that the leader was hiding within has been destroyed by us. What should we do with this person now?"

Xu Yuan stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then said, "Lock him up first, don't let him die."

There must be some kind of connection between the unawakened body and the defiled master.

But the master of the dungeon clearly couldn't bring himself to enlighten Ge Yun'an.

Otherwise, the leader wouldn't have been sent to wake him up.

Xu Yuan pondered how to cleverly utilize this unconscious body to give the master a surprise at a crucial moment.

"Alright, you guys can go out now. I need to rest for a while." Xu Yuan waved his hand.

Miao Yu and the others then left.

Xu Yuan lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

I slept until the afternoon before waking up, my stomach growling with hunger.

"Lang Xiaoba," Xu Yuan called out, but Zhou Leizi entered from outside the door: "Lang Xiaoba went to practice martial arts secrets with Ji Shuangqiu."

Xu Yuan nodded: "Prepare some food."

"Yes."

Zhou Leizi ordered someone to prepare a meal and bring it in. While Xu Yuan was eating, Zhou Leizi said, "While you were asleep, Lord Zhu brought over the severed corner."

Zhou Leizi brought over a wooden box, opened it, and inside was the horn of the Monkey King.

Xu Yuan wasn't in a hurry; he only picked it up to examine it after he finished eating.

This is undoubtedly a top-quality material.

But Xu Yuan couldn't figure out what use it was: "When my stepmother comes, I'll show her."

This time, the overdraft was severe, but correspondingly, Xu Yuan felt that he could draw more power from Lingxiao.

The will within Lingxiao also switched forms much more smoothly.

Xu Yuan secretly estimated that he now had the ability to fight against most fourth-rate opponents.

Even a weaker fourth-rate opponent can win after a hard-fought battle.

"Did Lord Zhu mention how Lady Miaoyan is doing?"

"She has woken up, but Lord Zhu said that Master Miaoyan doesn't seem to like talking much, so he doesn't know the exact extent of her injuries."

Xu Yuan nodded, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Let's go to the Mountain and River Bureau to visit the True Person."

"Yes."

……

Zhu Zhanlei found it a bit strange that his third sister seemed to care about Miao Yan Zhenren so much.

Moreover, Master Miaoyan originally lived in the Department of Cleansing and Purification, so why do you insist on inviting her back to the Department of Mountains and Rivers?
It wouldn't be accurate to say that she deliberately cultivated good relations with the officials under the supervision of the Imperial Censor.

Zhu Zhanlei knew that his sister wasn't that kind of person.

Moreover, the Zhu family did not need to do this.

The origins of the Zhu family...

Xu Yuan was oblivious, or perhaps he simply hadn't considered that possibility.

But don't forget, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty also had the surname Zhu.

The Miao people have a rich cultural heritage, and Miao Yu is a promising young man. Why is he so determined to marry his eldest sister?
The eldest sister doesn't think much of him?
Zhu Zhanlei complained to Miao Yu, "Third Sister is already stuck in the yamen, and we can't even move around much. Now they've brought in another big shot. We can't stay in the yamen anymore."

I have no idea what my third sister is thinking...

Zhu Zhanlei shook his head repeatedly. Miao Yu glanced at him and thought to himself, "You really didn't notice?"
If you didn't notice, then I won't say anything.

"Inspector Zhu has her own reasons." Miao Yu was about to discuss with Zhu Zhanlei where to go for some fun tonight when a subordinate came to report: "Lord Xu has arrived."

……

Zhu Zhanmei settled Miaoyan Zhenren in her courtyard.

They lived right next door to Zhu Zhanmei.

When Miao Yan Zhenren saw Xu Yuan, a blush suddenly rose on her snow-white cheeks.

Zhu Zhanmei couldn't help but wonder: Why is she suddenly acting all shy?!

Miao Yan Zhenren felt somewhat ashamed.

In Xu Yuan's view, the Immortal Miaoyan blocked the Great Sage Equaling Heaven for a moment, playing a crucial role.

The plan to bring the Monkey King back to the mortal world failed.

However, in Miaoyan Zhenren's view, she was entrusted by Ma Tianshou to come to Champa to serve as a top expert.

As a result, once Lingxiao appeared, all of Miaoyan Zhenren's methods were useless!
If it weren't for Xu Yuan's heroic act of killing the sect leader and preemptively sealing off Lingxiao Palace, there would have been no chance for Miaoyan Zhenren to stop the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.

Indeed, it was Xu Yuan who caught the three leaders off guard and intervened prematurely, ruining their entire plan.

Otherwise, if the Lord of the Scoundrels and the Great Sage of Heaven were to fight over Champa... that would be an absolute disaster.

Miao Yan Zhenren was powerless to prevent such a disaster.

Miao Yan Zhenren never underestimated Xu Yuan, but as a "master in charge," she felt that her role was very limited.

It was thanks to Xu Yuan that Champa was saved.

Therefore, when Miao Yan Zhenren saw Xu Yuan again for the first time after the battle, she felt somewhat ashamed.

Blushed.

When Xu Yuan came in, he inquired about Miao Yan Zhenren's injuries with concern. As usual, he answered each question with a single sentence.

Miao Yan Zhenren doesn't know how to communicate with strangers, and is even more afraid of chatting with people she barely knows.

Furthermore, feeling somewhat ashamed in front of Xu Yuan made the conversation even more awkward. Fortunately, Xu Yuan had already figured out Miao Yan Zhenren's personality and was quite patient, finally managing to understand the situation.

Miao Yan Zhenren was seriously injured, and her "Dao Foundation" was shaken. She needs to recuperate for a period of time.

Moreover, from Miao Yan's brief words, it can be inferred that her injuries require some special "medicine" to fully recover.

Otherwise, there's no hope of ever reaching the third tier in this lifetime!
Xu Yuan then said, "Please rest assured and recover from your injuries, Master. The plan of the Scoundrel and the Great Sage of the Heavenly Realm has failed this time, and the losses are heavy. They will definitely lie low for a while and should not cause any more trouble in the short term."

But Master Miaoyan said, "I have already sent a message to ask my senior brother to come over."

Xu Yuan's eyes lit up, and his goodwill towards Miao Yan Zhenren immediately increased.

The officials under the Jianzheng Gate are very particular about their work! If they promise to help, they will help to the end.

Even if she can't stay in charge herself, she can still call in reinforcements!
So Xu Yuan stopped "torturing" Miao Yan Zhenren and immediately took his leave so that she could rest and recuperate.

After leaving Miaoyan Zhenren's room, Xu Yuan specifically instructed Zhu Zhanmei: "Zhenren is naturally indifferent and does not like to contact outsiders. You just need to prepare her meals and tea every day, and try not to disturb her otherwise."

"I understand." Zhu Zhanmei seemed somewhat sullen: "You seem to know the real person very well?"

Xu Yuan hesitated twice before offering a forced explanation: "No, I'm just good at observing."

Zhu Zhanmei secretly rolled her eyes, then turned and went back to her room: "I won't see Lord Xu off."

Xu Yuan touched his temples; the dream of having a beautiful woman massage him was ultimately unattainable.

Back at the Exorcism Bureau, Qin Ze was on duty at the gate again today.

"My lord," Qin Ze scurried up to greet him, accompanying him into the yamen, and then said, "The prefect has taken the initiative to send over the City God's golden seal."

Lord Xu, however, was somewhat displeased. He chuckled and said, "It's only being delivered now? The Prefect is quite bold."

If the prefect knew that Xu Yuan had said such a thing, he would definitely cry foul, for Xu Yuan had already been terrified.

In fact, the first thing the prefect wanted to do this morning was to deliver the City God's golden seal to Xu Yuan.

But the City God's golden seal is nowhere to be found...

A major battle took place yesterday evening, and Xu Yuan left after dark.

The prefect and several trusted confidants waited anxiously in the prefectural office until dawn.

The prefect then went straight to the treasury to find the City God's golden seal.

The treasury was in complete disarray; almost everything had vanished!

In the battle yesterday evening, almost everyone in the prefectural government office fled.

When they were on their way out... of course, someone would steal something.

Because this escape would essentially mean the rest of his life would be over, and he would have to live in anonymity in order to survive.

I need some money to keep myself safe.

Almost everyone's first reaction was: go check the treasury.

The City God's golden seal is kept in the treasury... in a beautiful sandalwood box.

It was taken away in the chaos.

The person who received this item only saw the exquisite box and assumed it contained some precious treasure, so they didn't even have time to open it and check.

The prefect felt a chill run through his body, and only one thought crossed his mind: It's all over!

If he can't hand over the City God's golden seal, Xu Yuan certainly won't stop the demons outside the government office the next time they attack.

Instead, he will only appear after the sorcerer has been let in and taken the life of this manor!
Fortunately, one of his trusted advisors offered a suggestion.

The news was spread to inform the fugitives in the yamen: yesterday's events happened suddenly, and the prefect does not blame everyone for their panic.

Even we ourselves lost our composure.

Therefore, let bygones be bygones.

Let bygones be bygones.

Today is my shift, so I should come back when it's time to come back. If I took anything, I should put it back in its place.

The prefect was furious with his subordinates who had abandoned him and fled the day before, and he wanted to report to the court and have them hunted down to the ends of the earth.

Now we can only pretend to be magnanimous.

Not many people believed it in the morning, but those who returned found that the prefect really had no intention of pursuing the matter, so they spread the news.

Almost everyone returned in the afternoon.

The treasury, which was empty in the morning, was immediately filled again.

Moreover, it was kept very clean, as if the place had never been looted.

When the prefect found the "City God's Golden Seal" again, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Without a moment's delay, I delivered it to Lord Xu.

Xu Yuan took the sandalwood box from Lao Qin, opened it to take a look, and then closed it and put it away.

To put it bluntly, this thing is worthless.

Once used, this thing can save the lives of everyone in the city!

For the next two days, things were indeed calm in Champa.

Miao Yu and Zhu Zhanlei went to that teahouse to listen to music every day.

They give small tips every day, ranging from a hundred or so coins to three or five taels of silver.

However, the little granddaughter who sang the song always maintained a lukewarm attitude towards the two adults, keeping a certain distance.

The little granddaughter accepted the reward of a hundred or so coins.

Those who brought three or five ounces would definitely bring their grandfathers to the private room to return the money in person.

The blind grandfather was extremely grateful and, despite his advanced age, insisted on kowtowing to the two benefactors.

This made Zhu Zhanlei, this lawless playboy, unhappy, but unable to do anything about it.

That day, the two spoiled rich kids came to find Xu Yuan together.

Before Zhu Zhanlei even entered the door, he was yelling, "Old Xu, Old Xu! I got dumped, I'm feeling really upset, come have a drink with me..."

The officers of the Mountain and River Division behind him filed in and placed the wine and dishes on the table one by one.

Xu Yuan asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

"Stop talking, let's drink!" Zhu Zhanlei had already finished a bowl.

Xu Yuan glanced at Miao Yu, who gave a wry smile.

Xu Yuan drank a bowl with him.

The people of the Ming Dynasty mostly drank yellow wine.

It emphasizes a rich and mellow flavor.

After downing eight bowls of wine, Zhu Zhanlei was nearly out of control. His anger and the effects of the alcohol were both rising in his head. He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "What do I, this young master, have that I can't compare to that coffin seller?"

Xu Yuan then looked at Miao Yu, who whispered the situation to him. It turned out that the grandfather and grandson had finished singing in the teahouse earlier that day and were going to each of the private rooms to express their gratitude.

This is their last time performing for money, and they want to thank their patrons for their support during this time.

The little granddaughter has found a husband and is about to get married.

Miao Yu, however, had a complicated expression and asked, "Old Xu, guess which family she's looking for?"

How could I possibly have guessed that?

"Jia Zongdao—that young man from the mortuary."

Xu Yuan was stunned: "How could it be..."

Although it was unexpected, Jia Zongdao was in charge of the mortuary, so what decent family would marry their daughter to him?

The grandfather and grandson who sang for money didn't come from good backgrounds either, so they were considered a good match.

As Xu Yuan was pondering this, he heard a familiar voice from outside the door: "Everyone knows that men should marry when they are of age and women should marry when they are of age. Of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring. Xu Yuan, you are not young anymore, why don't you care about your own life's important matter?"

Lin Wanmo and Aunt Wang arrived.

Xu Yuan was very happy, but his stepmother kept bringing it up, which gave him a headache.

Xu Yuan stood up and said, "You've finally arrived. Come on, I'll take you to see that thing..."

Zhu Zhanlei, who was already slumped over the table, suddenly reached out and grabbed Xu Yuan's sleeve: "Don't leave. You have to drink with me to your heart's content today. I'm feeling unwell..."

Xu Yuan sat down again: "Okay."

After finishing four more bowls, Zhu Zhanlei slipped under the table.

Xu Yuan wiped his mouth: "Alright, let him drink to his heart's content. Stepmother, Aunt Wang, let's go."

Miao Yu shook his head and complained, "You got him drunk, and now you want me to take him back..."

……

Lin Wanmo, though sharp-tongued, was kind-hearted: "We have so many things to do at home, why did you insist on sending us to Champa?"

Xu Yuan first took them to the prison cell.

The craftsman from the Pingtian Society is imprisoned here.

His skull was still open, and next to it was the thousand-arrow crossbow.

The stepmother circled the crossbow with a puzzled look: "How... does this thing work? It'll definitely jam if it fires continuously..."

Xu Yuan placed the craftsman's brain inside.

Lin Wanmo's eyes lit up: "I see..."

Most people would certainly criticize it vehemently: outrageous, morally reprehensible, immoral, violent, and so on.

But craftsmen don't know how.

Craftsmen never consider natural laws or human ethics; they only care about the advancement of technology.

Lin Wanmo rubbed his hands together: "Let me study this carefully!"

Xu Yuan waved to Aunt Wang, telling her not to disturb Lin Wanmo and to let them go out first.

After being released from prison, Xu Yuan said triumphantly to Aunt Wang, "You can stay here for ten days or half a month. Lin Wanmo won't want to go back."

That thing in the jail was just the first one; there are several more waiting for her, hehehe!

Aunt Wang smiled and said, "Okay, then we'll stay a little longer. We can take this opportunity to help you think about your marriage..."

"Can we please stop talking about this?" Xu Yuan was exasperated. "Do people become particularly fond of worrying about these things for the younger generation once they get older?"

Aunt Wang scolded playfully, "This is important business!"

Xu Yuan didn't want to argue about this, and waved his hand, saying, "I called you here because I really have something important to discuss. I've found the way to refine fire."

Aunt Wang was overjoyed: "What fire?"

"Life fire."

The key to advancing from the fifth to the fourth level in alchemy is "fire refining".

This fire was certainly no ordinary fire.

Xu Yuan explained the effects and characteristics of the "Mountain Fire Mist" to Aunt Wang.

After listening attentively and thinking for a while, Aunt Wang said, "This fire is intense and very powerful."

Once ignited, it spreads like wildfire, unleashing all its power.

It's a good kind of fire, but it's not without its drawbacks; it might come on quickly and go off quickly, lacking staying power.

and……"

Aunt Wang moved her fingers; they were a little stiff.

"This fire doesn't quite suit your personality."

Xu Yuan asked, "Is there still so much to consider regarding the fire chosen for the refining process?"

"Of course there are," Aunt Wang said. "Regardless of which of the seven major sects one cultivates, the more compatible the methods are with oneself, the better."

This compatibility is not only about aptitude and physical condition, but also about personality.

Many people of lower caliber don't have the means to choose what best suits them.

But now that you've reached this stage, you need to consider many factors—because you're already qualified to consider a future promotion to the upper-middle class.

It's not just a matter of fit; even a small problem could ultimately ruin any chance of reaching the top tier.

Xu Yuan nodded and asked, "Then this 'fire of destiny' cannot be used?"

“It can be used, but it would be best to find another fire that is more compatible with you and refine it together.” Aunt Wang said, “I collected the ‘human heart fire’ from the ‘human burial pit’ in northern Jiaozhi back then. You can go and look for it.”

You could also ask around, like with Ma Tianshou, the Fu family, or the Song family; they might also have clues.

(End of this chapter)